NHER 42357 (Monument record) - A World War Two pillbox, coastal defences and military training on Gorleston Cliffs, Gorleston-on-Sea

January 2006. Norfolk NMP.
An area of World War Two coastal defences and military training is visible on aerial photographs on the top of Gorleston Cliffs (S1)-(S8). These include a tank training site, two large pillboxes and several smaller gun emplacements, military buildings and barbed wire obstructions. These defences, both fixed and temporary, would have formed part of the wider network of cliff top defences protecting Gorleston-on-Sea, see NHER 42347, 42350 and 42359, for similar groups of emplacements. The site is centred on TG 5298 0254.

The earliest component of the site is visible in August 1940 and is a large curvilinear pillbox/gun emplacement shaped like a number ‘3’ at TG 5296 0256 (S1). This measures 13.5m by 8.5m. This appears to change shape slightly between August 1940 and February 1941 (S2), which probably indicates that it is constructed by with either sand or concrete bags. The curvilinear design of this emplacement is similar to a machine gun emplacement constructed for Bren guns (S9), although this emplacement appears to have two chambers. By 1944-5 only the southern half of this ‘3’ shaped structure remains and the northern curvilinear component has been replaced by a rectangular structure, 6m by 5m (S3)-(S7). A rectangular hut also gets built to the immediate north. Between February 1941 (S2) and May 1944 (S3) a type 24 pillbox with a protected entrance gets constructed at TG 5300 0261. This appears to have been camouflaged, as it is not clearly visible on all aerial photographs. A third concrete structure also gets built at TG 5299 0256, 6m by 4m and with a partially open roof. In August 1944 a circular structure is also visible at TG 5296 0263, within a rectangular barbed wire enclosure. The function of this circular structure is unknown, although it seems likely that it is a gun emplacement. To the north of this at TG 5297 0270 is a further gun emplacement, visible as an oval concrete base, with a bank of upcast or sandbags round one side. A central feature, presumably the gun mounting is visible in August 1944 (S5).

An additional gun position has been cut into the cliff at TG 5301 0253 and this has been surrounded by a curvilinear section of barbed wire. Running in a line from TG 5301 0250 to TG 5302 0243 is a possible row of heavily camouflaged gun emplacements or weapons pits, visible only as discrete piles of vegetation on top of the Upper Esplanade in 1945. No definite sign of artillery is visible, but it seems unusual for a walkway to have such material on it.

The southern part of the site differs from the rest, in that it seems to be largely related to training purposes rather than defence. Centred on TG 5300 0242 is a probable tank or Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) training site, which consists of a series of 4m wide surfaced tracks, which follow a course over a large concrete walled ramp and into large steep-sided and flat-bottomed trenches. This gets constructed in-between February 1941 and May 1944 (S2)-(S3). Two oblong mounds of upcast material have been placed alongside Marine Parade. A circular pit, with a possible internal feature or structure is also visible at the southwestern corner of the tank training area, although it seems likely that this is an earlier weapons pit or gun emplacement, as it does not appear to have any obvious link to the training site.
S. Massey (NMP), 30 January 2006.